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More St. Louis Fast Food Workers Plan to Strike

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ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) – Hundreds of fast food workers around St. Louis have stopped cooking food today and started picketing in an effort to get higher wages, better working conditions, and the right to form a union without retaliation.

This comes a day after workers at a McDonald’s on West Florissant and a Jimmy John’s in Soulard took to the picket line. Read More.

Workers are asking for what they call a livable wage of $15 per hour. Missouri’s minimum wage is $7.35 an hour.

According to Missouri Women’s Council, the Self-Sufficiency Standard for an adult with one child living in St. Louis County is $14.85 per hour working full time with benefits, in St. Louis City $14.93. (Scroll down to page 15 to see the Self-Sufficiency Standard for other counties in Missouri. Statistics are from 2007.)

If you support their cause you can sign an online petition HERE Also follow the campaign on twitter at #STL735

Restaurants participating in the strike:

8 a.m. Hardee’s, 2110 Hampton (Near I-44 and Hampton)

10 a.m. Wendy’s, 9604 Manchester

12 p.m. Arby’s, 4111 Lindell (in front of Schnucks)

4:30 p.m. Rally and march, Kingsland and Delmar

5:00 p.m. Church’s Chicken, 6190 Delmar

5:30 p.m. Rally and concert, Leeland and Delmar

Organizers say they were inspired by fast food walkouts in New York City and Chicago, also the Walmart Black Friday last year.

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Workers Strike in Soulard

Fast food workers at the Jimmy John’s in Soulard go on strike, saying the can’t survive on $7.35 an hour. (KMOX/Kevin Killeen)

SOULARD, Mo. (KMOX) — Shortly before lunch time Wednesday fast food workers at the Jimmy John’s in Soulard stopped making sandwiches and picked up signs in protest.

“We’re not asking for the moon, we are asking for what these multi-billion dollar corporations can afford to pay,” Rev. Martin Rafanan, co-chairman of the Missouri Jobs with Justice workers’ rights board for St. Louis said.

A group of about 40 protesters joined the Jimmy John’s workers held signs and chanted, “We can’t survive on $7.35,” and “We need change, and we don’t mean pennies.”

Rafana told KMOX the notion that an average fast food worker is a teenager is wrong. “The average age of a woman in the fast food industry is 32 years old, for all workers 28.”

When asked how the wage increase would affect consumers buying lunch Rafana asked, “Would you mind paying 25 cents more for your number two so that somebody can have a fare wage and be able to take care of their family?”